The Background Character Loop: One Last Chance to Break the Cycle Chapter 14: Loop 1.132: Petrichor

Rain poured down in sheets, soaking the streets and breaking the silence with its endless drumming against the pavent. Luna sat alone at the bus stop, the place deserted except for her.

She was still in her school uniform, now slightly damp. Her golden blonde hair clung to her face, wet and ssy, and the blue ribbon she always wore hung limply—faded, like her mood.

The streetlights cast dim reflections on the wet asphalt, painting a gloomy, lancholic atmosphere.

Luna stared into the distance. Her blue eyes looked empty, her thoughts drifting far away.

Her face, usually bright and full of energy, now seed tired—like she was carrying a burden too heavy for her small shoulders.

Each drop of rain hitting the shelter above her sounded like a whisper, echoing sadness and loneliness.

Luna shivered, not just because of the cold, but also from the waiting—the endless, hopeless kind. The kind that made her feel stuck.

She was waiting for a bus that never seed to co, trapped in the middle of the rain and silence that blanketed the late afternoon.

"Did you know there's a sll after the rain? It's called petrichor," a voice suddenly said.

A boy appeared beside her—his brown hair ssy and dripping wet, his face hidden in shadows. He had no clear facial features.

Luna jumped slightly in surprise. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the boy. But when she saw him, her expression softened. As if she recognized him.

"Yeah... I know. I always go out after the rain, just to sll it. There's sothing about it... fresh, clean. Like the world gets a second chance," Luna said, closing her eyes with a faint smile.

"I didn't expect you to know that."

"I heard it from a friend. Anyway... why don't you sit down beside ? Look at you, you're soaked," Luna said as she patted the bench next to her.

The boy—C—sat down. He wrung out his school uniform, trying to get rid of the rainwater trapped in the fabric.

Luna looked at him and gave a faint smile.

"Why are you here?" she asked quietly.

"Waiting for the bus. What else?" C replied simply.

"As far as I rember, you usually get picked up by your personal driver. So, what happened? Why are you waiting here at the bus stop like ?" he asked.

"My driver's car broke down. It's getting repaired. So I had no choice but to take the bus," Luna answered.

C nodded, though he already knew the real reason. Luna had just been rejected by Theo—and after that, she ran here, heartbroken.

Well... the reset's about to happen anyway. Why not spend so ti with her?

"I see... Do you want sothing to drink?"

"No, it's fine..."

"Too late," C interrupted, now already standing in front of the vending machine as rain splashed harshly against his body.

"W-What are you doing, idiot!" Luna shouted, eyes wide with surprise.

"Hurry up... unless you want to stay out here in this rain," C said, using his bag to cover his head.

"Black coffee! And hurry back, you'll get sick!" Luna called out, clearly worried.

C quickly grabbed two cans of black coffee and ran back under the shelter.

He exhaled sharply and handed one of the cans to Luna.

"Your hands are freezing... but this feels kind of nice. Thanks," Luna said softly, her fingers brushing his for just a second longer.

"Sure... You can pay back later—with your number, Miss Class Idol," C joked lightly.

Luna blushed at his words. But instead of hitting him or getting angry, she just looked down.

"You seem... troubled. You can talk to if you want," C said. He reached out his hand as if to touch her shoulder, but stopped midway.

Luna gave him a tiny smile—but then, C noticed sothing strange. A tear fell onto the back of his hand.

His eyes widened.

"Eh, Luna? Did I say sothing wrong? Was that too much? I'm sorry if—" he began to apologize, lowering his head.

Luna wiped her tears away and looked at him. A smile was still on her face.

"Dummy," she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I rember everything, C. Every loop. Every ti we died. Every ti you saved . All the pain, all the deaths, all the joy. I rember it all," Luna said. Her voice trembled slightly, but she kept smiling—a smile full of both warmth and sorrow.

C froze, stunned. He reached out and held her shoulders.

"S-since when?!" he asked, almost panicked.

"After Theo rejected ... I ran. And with every step, the mories ca back. Every loop you went through just to protect us—your endless fight in a world that treats us like puppets," she said, her voice filled with guilt, admiration, and sothing deeper.

C didn't know what to say. His mind was blank. He wanted to speak but the words just wouldn't co out.

"How can you be so strong, C?!"

"Luna..." he whispered. "Please, calm down."

The rain got heavier. It felt like the world itself would drown. Lightning struck in the distance—signaling the reset was near.

"H-how can I calm down, C? Look around you, the world's about to reset, and I'll lose all my mories again!" Luna shouted, her voice cracking.

"Luna!" C called her na.

Tears stread down her cheeks again, more intense than before.

"I just... can't stand the thought of forgetting you again, C..." she whispered, her voice cracking as tears fell.

Seeing her cry made sothing inside C ache.

"I'm used to it Luna... But don't worry. I promise, I'll set you free from this cruel story. One day, I will," he said, holding both of her hands up between their faces.

Luna bit her lip. "Used to it? Don't give that! Don't think I don't know what happened in Loop-666, C! When you... when you ended your life in your own house!" she yelled.

C's body stiffened instantly.

"Enough, Luna... Let's not argue. We probably only have ten minutes left before the reset. So... let's just take it easy for once, okay?"

Her tears slowed. She opened her mouth to speak again.

But C gently placed a finger on her lips, signaling her to be quiet.

"Shhh... Let's just relax for a while," he said gently.

Even though the storm outside shook the bus stop, Luna felt warmth from C's presence—as if she weren't cold at all.

She nodded and looked ahead. "You know, C... I never used to like black coffee. But now, sohow... I do. Maybe it's because this world forced to like sweet things too much," she said, looking into his eyes with a gentle smile.

"Maybe that's it, Luna... You know, this is the first ti I've actually heard you rember a loop."

"You just never noticed. Every ti a reset was about to happen, I would awaken my mories. And every ti... I always searched for you. But by the ti I found you... you were already gone," she said, eyes tearing up again.

"I see... Then in the next loop, I'll find you first. Don't worry, Luna. I'll try even harder, until you and Theo can finally get the happy ending you deserve," C said, trying to comfort her.

But hearing that only made Luna bit her lip until it bled.

"I don't want that, dummy," she whispered. Her eyes sparkled, and her blue ribbon flew off her hair, caught in the wind.

"I want you to fight the author. Break the script. Or... maybe just rest in the next loop. Forget about us, just for a while."

"I can't do that, Luna... I want to—"

Suddenly, sothing warm touched his face—right where his mouth would be.

And then, Luna kissed him.

He didn't know how long it lasted. Ti seed to blur, the world stood still—until she slowly pulled back, breathless.

"Hah... Promise , okay, C?" Luna smiled, holding out her pinky.

C was still frozen, his mind a ss. For a mont, he wished he had lips.

If only I had lips... what would Luna's kiss have felt like?

"Co on, C. My hand's getting tired here."

C snapped back and looked at her pinky. Slowly, he wrapped his own around hers.

"If only you had lips, C... I think I'd never stop kissing you," Luna said, her voice trembling between a laugh and a sob.

His face turned red. So hot, he started to feel dizzy.

"W-what?!"

"You told to relax, didn't you?"

"But I didn't an—"

Luna pressed her finger gently against his lips—though it didn't have any physical effect, the gesture made him stop talking.

"Shhh. It's fine, C. In the next loop, if you et the dumb version of again..." Luna paused.

"Steal one more kiss," she whispered, caressing his faceless cheek.

Pieces of the sky began to fall—signs that the reset would happen in just a fraction of a second.

The sky cracked above them. The reset was seconds away.

"I love you, Ca▅▃▄▂"

The world shattered.